She, like her
by Evey Claire
Summary: Sam's thoughts on Claire the first time he sees her. Set before any of the books, on the very first week Claire came to Morganville! In this story Claire has the very appearance of Amelie. Is she her long lost daughter? Kinda AU-ish... Sucky summary! Enjoy!


**Hello to you all! First an important note about this story! It is set before all the books take place, set in the very first week that Claire comes to Morganville. I'm severely implying that Claire is Amelie's daughter and that she looks a great deal like her. I know that this is not how Claire appears in the books but bear with me for my mind is quite imaginative. This is from the point of view of Sam as the first time he sees Claire. Note: This is NOT a Sam/Claire fanfic! I totally ship Sam and Amelie! Read on and I hope you enjoy!**

I noticed her the second she walked into the room. Her hair was the color of freshly fallen snow, her skin matched and her eyes, oh, her eyes were the brightest, most brilliant blue. They were a mixture of the delicate seas of the Mediterranean and the color of the sky on a cloudless day. They seemed to illuminate the room, as if all the light was sucked in by them and taken prisoner in their depths.

She was standing, paused, hesitant in front of the doorway, looking for an empty table, and her small frame was outlined in the sun, those blue eyes glowing in the white black.

I was mesmerized by her, by the way she glanced around nervously at the tables spilling over with rambunctious teens, taking in the casual haze and how gently, how softly she strode over to the counter. Her grace scared me; it was much too inhuman for that beating heart which I could hear like a never-ending drum pounding away in my head.

She ordered a mocha from bubbly Eve and stood aside waiting for the drink to be made, nervously tapping her fingers against the counter in a delicate rhythm. Her voice rang through my thoughts again and again for it was like the ring of a bell, high, clear and sharp at first and fell away into soft, sultry tones.

Receiving her drink, she moved to sit down, the only table being one in the darkest corner.

On her way she walked past us, leaving a trail of gaping vampires in her wake. No one had noticed her as she entered, but now all eyes were securely trained on her, watching her walk to the table, watching her sit down and pull out a book, and finally watching her elegant fingers slowly flip the pages and wrap around the handle of her cup, pulling it up to angelic lips.

She was oh so beautiful and she looked so much like _her._

Oliver, who had been tending to other matters at that time, stepped out from the back office and instantly his eyes fixed on her. All the vampires were still watching, unmoving, and most of them seemed relieved that Oliver was now here, that he could address the problem.

He looked surprised, astonished and a little suspicious and with cautious, edged steps advanced towards the table where she was sitting.

I almost moved to stand, to go interfere with his advance for fear of her safety. I didn't know this girl but she looked so much like my lost love that I hadn't set eyes on in half a century that I couldn't bear to see that beauty marred and Oliver was rarely a friendly fellow. Reason overtook me and I realized it was best to stay where I was, practically unnoticed and observe.

Oliver talked with the girl for a few moments with hushed words I couldn't hear and she must have offered him to sit because he did. As his back was to me I couldn't read his lips to figure out what he might be asking her, but I could read hers and from her answers learn the questions.

She said she was sixteen and that she was in town because she had recently been accepted to our local university and was setting up her dorm and familiarizing herself with area before classes started next week. He must have asked her why she was in college at such a young age for she spoke briefly of how she had graduated early due to an advanced mind. She also spoke of what classes she was taking, the basics for now, but looking to transfer to MIT and get a major in physics and quantum mechanics, most likely a doctorate and how she also wanted a minor in criminal psychology. I laughed softly at the irony in that one.

All this simple chatter greatly peaked my interest for not only did she have the looks of my love, but also it seemed the mind. Right then and there I decided I would get to know her, protect her from this town, as her appearance would surely stir up trouble, trouble an innocent girl like her would hardly be able to handle. I also decided to consider her Amelie's daughter for I had to know of a way to treat her or I would foolishly make her Amelie in my mind and fall in love with her. I was really that depressed, that lonely.

God, I missed Amelie so much, even thinking her name almost brought me to tears. For the past fifty years she had ignored me, ordered the other vampires away so that I could only find solace and friendship in the very mortals that feared and hated me. It was agony.

The only thing that made it better was the fact that our queen seemed to be ignoring us all, that this past fifty years she had become reclusive and solitary, seen only by her guards who assured the rest of us that she was most definitely alive and still very much in charge. Oliver, of course, had made quite a whirlwind of trouble when he came about three years back, attempting to take over the town for himself. Only then, when everything was in danger did Amelie reappear and only for an instant and only to cut him down, not long enough that anyone saw her but everyone _felt _her.

Amelie's presence is unmistakable. The second she walks within a mile of you, you can feel her, her authority, like the beating of a heart. She truly rules us all and Oliver was a complete fool to think that he could saunter in and overthrow her. No, he couldn't do it, and no one still alive could. He said that he knew her from long ago, that they had been close, good friends who had relied upon each other in times of great stress. All of this seemed strangely suspicious to me, but not to the other vampires, many of whom also knew him from long ago and now sided with him and had told me time and time again with stiff brows and taut expressions that they had been friends, that once upon a time they had been friends.

Even with the constant reassurance from the few who spared precious time to speak with me that he knew her it still seemed suspicious, if he truly knew her, _truly_ knew her, then he would know that it would be impossible to overcome her. This led me to thinking that he might have other reasons for coming here, ones I liked far less.

Shaking morbid thoughts from my mind, I refocused my attention on the girl. She was getting up to leave now, getting a handshake from Oliver. That would have seemed out of character from him but I knew his ulterior motives. With her wrists covered by long white sleeves, you couldn't tell if she was wearing a bracelet or more specifically if she was wearing Amelie's bracelet. I stretched my neck, moving to a position where I could see her and was not surprised to see that her wrist was completely bare.

Oliver realized this too and his grin turned from friendly to sinister in an instant. Frightened, I abruptly stood up and started to move towards them, to keep my vow and protect her, but a hand wrapped around my wrist and pulled me back into the shadows.

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